In the Studio with Houston Artist Caroline Truong
By Elizabeth Snell
As we celebrate the holidays, the New Year, and culture and creativity in our region, we at M-AAA are delighted to introduce our featured artist, Caroline Truong, a painter and mural artist hailing from Houston, Texas.
Caroline is one example of the vibrant artists who create work right here in the heartland.
She says her creative mission is “to spread the joy that painting brings to her, to everybody.”
Below, she tells us a little bit about her inspiration, her process, and what’s next for her artistic practice. She is an alumna of Artist INC, M-AAA’s professional development program for creatives.
Meet M-AAA’s featured artist Caroline Truong. Caroline is based in Houston and is an alumna of Artist INC.
M-AAA: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your artistic journey?
After graduating college in 2007, I became a public school art teacher before shifting to a corporate career to build up finances and start a family with my husband. While I dabbled in art, I didn’t develop my own consistent art practice until 2016. To me, an art practice is like a fitness routine for the mind and soul—something I do regularly for my own well-being. Just like with exercise, if I’m not routinely doing it, my physical and mental health suffers.
It took years to have the confidence to call myself an artist, but I’ve realized that being an artist is more about how I see the world than just creating. The more I embrace this, the more complete I feel. I paint phrases like “life is an art” because they help me manage my anxiety and depression. Visually seeing phrases like this puts me in a present and positive mindset.
Drawing and painting have always been my constants—when I’m creating, I feel at ease. As a professional artist, my biggest challenge is balancing passion with the pressure to earn income, which has led me to burnout many times. I feel like business development for artists is a constant weigh out between creative fulfillment and financial sustainability.
I started mural painting in 2016 at my brother-in-law’s restaurant. He gave me a wall, and I dove in without a plan or any preparation. It was tough—so tough that I didn’t want to do any more murals. Three years later, I was given an opportunity to paint a mural and I’ve kept going since. I take on projects that fit my schedule as a parent, which aren’t always frequent, but I make the most of every opportunity and am grateful for each one. Every day, I’m amazed that someone would actually pay me to paint.
M-AAA: How would you describe your artistic style and inspirations?
My style blends vibrant colors, whimsical flower doodles, and occasionally artful text, using a mix of illustrative and painterly techniques to craft playful compositions.
It’s taken nearly a decade to develop my style, which is always evolving. Right now, it’s flower doodles and my Dream Bird—but in another decade, it could completely change. I recently did a mural at a Thai restaurant with no flowers at all—it was a street food cart scene with a faint silhouette of temples in the background—and I loved it. I’m exploring the incorporation of more realistic figures alongside my illustrative, graphic elements, so we’ll see what develops next.
M-AAA: How has mentorship influenced your artistic career?
At the start, the biggest takeaway from completing Artist INC was the sense of empowerment I felt. The community gave me the validation that I’m not alone on this journey. It also connected me with artists from various disciplines, each pursuing their own unique path to success, which expanded my perspective on how to generate income and share my work with the world. Recently, I’ve signed up as a mentee in another program to help take my career to the next level. I fully believe in mentorship and learning directly from those more experienced—they help me make decisions and see situations without bias.
M-AAA: What is your dream project as an artist?
Caroline Truong’s painting titled, Life is an Art
A dream project for me would be one that is creatively fulfilling, financially supportive, and fits my schedule as a parent. Creatively, I’d love to paint a vibrant, eclectic mix of colorful flower doodles on a building several stories tall. The largest mural I’ve painted so far is 80 feet long by 20 feet high, about two stories, but this time I want to go vertical and paint on taller walls. Ideally, the location would be somewhere highly visible here in Houston, close to home so I’m not in a rush for school dropoff and pickup. I’d love a project that financially supports my living expenses for three to five months. This would give me flexibility in planning, train a team of assistants, and still be fully present with my family throughout the process.
Honestly, every project feels like a dream to me because, as I’ve said, I’m just grateful to be getting paid to paint.
M-AAA: Where can people find your work?
Around Houston and online, Instagram @carolinetruongart and CarolineTruongArt.com
M-AAA: What’s your favorite way to spend your free time?
Enjoying drinks and great food with family and friends. Relaxing at home, doing absolutely nothing. Hunting for hidden gems at the thrift store.
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